7Up's Bubbly Logo Maintains A Strong Brand Identity Despite Various Global Designs

The 7Up Logo Is Bubbly And Fun — And Has Been Throughout History

7Up is a beverage brand known the world over. It’s a lemon-lime flavored, non-caffeinated beverage that’s been lining store shelves since 1929. But the tasty drink wasn’t always known as 7Up.

In fact, when the beverage was first introduced, it was known as Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda. It wasn’t until 1936 that the company behind its creation switched gears and started calling the drink 7Up.

The original brand that created the iconic beverage was known as The Howdy Corporation. Founder Charles Leiper Grigg came up with this concoction in 1929 and began selling it almost immediately. The original formula contained lithium citrate which was a drug that put people at ease and stabilized moods. That’s also why the initial name for the drink was Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda.

But by 1936, the name was shortened to 7Up, and in 1969, the beverage was sold to Westinghouse before again being sold to Philip Morris and then to Hicks & Haas. In 1988, 7Up merged with Dr. Pepper and that’s when things really kicked off for the brand.

The brand has changed hands many times, being the victim of acquisitions and mergers time and time again. But the drink still holds its integrity, and the multiple owners gave the brand a set of fresh eyes and taste buds. New formulas and names and logo designs were tested out to get to the 7Up we see today. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

The History Of The 7Up Logo: Through The Years

The 7Up brand has been around since 1936 when the company changed the original name and went with a more simple, streamlined brand name and identity. And since its conception, the brand has undergone a wide variety of redesigns — some were more similar than others, but all of them had a way of capturing the brand and its identity at the time.

The original 7Up logo was a black, white and orange design. The 7 and Up were outlined in a thick, bold black with the letters filled in with a bright white. In the background, a bright, jarring orange let the words really pop. White bubbles surrounded this strong and stand out design. But there was something missing — this design was rigid, uninteresting and a little bit displeasing to the eyes — which probably had something to do with the unappealing orange background. But this logo concept stood strong, with the winged 7 and the smaller, rigid Up keeping the same overall shapes for years to come. Even today, this general design still looks somewhat similar.

Still, the logo saw many different designs. Some years, the wordmark became more rigid and geometric. It lost the orange and went for a bright and energizing green. And then the sphere was introduced, separating the 7 from the Up. This continued, while the brand tried to find its footing and find the logo that was strong yet fluid, creative yet prestigious.

Some years, the design was minimalistic and chic. Other years, it was modern, harsh and futuristic. The brand kept the same look, but the way these words flowed together shifted slightly to reflect the times and the mood of the world and the brand itself. But it never lost its memorable nature. And today, we have the iconic 7Up logo we know, love and instantly recognize.

It’s bubbly, smooth and sophisticated — capturing an essence that makes the beverage brand stand out from the competition.

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Why The 7Up Logo Stands Out To Consumers

The 7Up logo is fun, bubbly and energetic. It captures the energy of the spirited drink in all of its glory.  It’s a design that fosters a sense of creativity, authority and amusement. This is a design that’s full of enthusiasm and youth — filling consumers with that fizzy delight the soda itself is known for.

This creative and fluid logo is colorful, cool and dynamic. It’s a swift and smooth design that is instantly eye-catching, with a recognizable quality that's lasted throughout the years.

The wordmark is made up of a bright green outline with a fluid and bubbly sphere separating the 7 and the Up. The curvy and swirly nature of the design eliminates harsh lines and geometric pointiness.

It’s soft. It’s stunning. It’s smooth. It’s a design that demands attention and gives users a sense of fulfillment.

The 7Up logo has gone through many iterations over the years, but in the latest version, it's retained its modernity, creativity and branding. 7Up is a brand that promotes enjoyment and fun. And this superior design puts the brand’s personality front and center.

There’s a three-dimensional quality to this design due to the white lettering and bright, green outline. The 7 stands strong and powerful, promoting the brand’s original seven ingredients. The iconic 7 has been an integral part of the 7Up brand for decades, almost since it was first introduced to the market.

As a result, this new logo design takes on a retro edge that calls back to the brand's roots.

It’s a moniker that stands powerful and resolute. It’s an image that has a meaning and has a history that has been with the brand for years. And this logo makes it clear that that years-long passion and dedication isn’t going away anytime soon.

The bright red sphere emphasizes the bubbly and fizzy nature of the drink itself. And it adds a playful quality to the design that elevates the creative enthusiasm, of the brand and its personality.

This logo has subtle ties to the brand’s history. But it emulates that history, heritage and prestige in a subtle, serene and bold way.

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How The Global 7Up Logo Changes Around The World

7Up is an iconic soft drink — from New York City to London and beyond. It’s available in a variety of markets across the globe, known for the same excellence in lemon-lime flavored, non-caffeinated beverages.

That being said, the brand has a slightly different image across markets worldwide — and that’s because the brand is own by different companies depending on the region in which the fizzy drink is being sold.

In the United States, the logo is owned by Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, and outside the U.S. it’s owned by PepsiCo and its accompanying licenses. The brand still holds the same identity across international waters, but the logo design is slightly different.

Outside of the U.S., instead of the logo being separated by a red circle, the “up” is actually placed inside of the red circle. This shortens the overall design and adds a more streamlined quality to its look and vibe. The 7 is also a bit more three-dimensional, with the green outline much thicker, and the 7 itself more fluid and regal in stature. There’s more of a serif quality to the font here as opposed to the soft, rounded edges seen in the American design.

In addition, there are green and yellow bubbles that flow up and down around the red circle which heightens the attention to the bubbliness of the beverage.

This logo design is equally impactful and fun, but it is a little more complex and extensive thanks to the word overlay and the accompanying bubbles.

Even though these two logo designs are different, however, they both still hold a trueness and authenticity that matches with the overall brand identity of the beverage company. They capture an effervescence and an excitement that encourages consumers to dive right in.

The 7Up Logo And Its Impact On The Marketplace 

The 7UP logo is seen in a variety of different places — on bottles, cans and marketing materials. It’s gone through many slogans and many campaigns, it’s current slogan being “Do More With 7Up.”

But even with all of these campaigns and initiatives in its arsenal, the 7Up brand has all but disappeared from regular view.

Think about it — when was the last time you came across a 7Up? Can you even remember? It used to be one of the most iconic brands out there, with Super Bowl commercials and campaigns that excited and amazed. But now, it’s almost only known for its former glory.

Other brands have become more popular — Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and even Mountain Dew are more readily available than the 7Up brand. But why is that?

It might be due to the fact that 7Up tried to rebrand and redesign itself too many times without actually offering much in the way of doing anything different. Like we’ve discussed, there isn’t much difference in the current logo than previous. Similarly, branding has remained relatively stagnant, though it has been pushing towards reaching a younger audience.

It’s also probably because it’s not the best or the only soda anymore. It’s not the only non-caffeinated soda, nor is it the only one made with natural ingredients. And as a result, its popularity has dipped and its prominence has fallen by the wayside a bit.

It’s still a popular and recognizable brand, of course, with over 14 million U.S. consumers per week, as of spring 2017. It still has its following. But all and all, the brand has slacked and fallen from grace.

But even with that said, its design is one that is incredibly hard to ignore -- which is why it has been a big-name beverage brand for the better part of a century. 

Check out DesignRush's Best Logo Design section to discover more top logo designs and great branding initiatives.